This archive report was first published on 6 June 2020.
As the world grapples with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, women and youth in rural areas have been urged to leverage technology to market their farm produce.
Ndaya Beltchika, the lead technical specialist for gender and social inclusion at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), emphasized the importance of technology in the agricultural sector.
Speaking during an online session organized by the Thomson Reuters Foundation in Rome, Italy, Ms. Beltchika noted that the pandemic has opened up new opportunities for farmers, particularly women and youth, to adopt technology and access new markets.
She emphasized that governments must recognize the potential of youth in technology-driven projects and provide them with the necessary support to access markets.
Ms. Beltchika also highlighted the need for governments to involve women and youth in decision-making platforms and empower them to market their farm produce using technology.
IFAD has set a target of spending nearly $6 billion to empower women globally, with investments amounting to $1.6 billion in 2020, compared to $1 billion in 2018.
Ms. Beltchika also noted that IFAD has been working with country representatives to ensure that projects run by women do not collapse, and that the organization has repurposed its projects to ensure that farmers benefit from loans offered through governments.
